The term copper cabling is synonymous with communications networks. It is one of the best and cheapest data transfer mediums available to us today and is used virtually everywhere you have structured cabling throughout North America. One of the limitations to this element, however, is that it is susceptible to many different inhibiting external factors which may reduce its efficacy. These factors are generally grouped under four categories established by the Telecommunications Industry Association, who coined the acronym MICE: Mechanical, Ingress, Climatic, and Electromagnetic. These factors generally generate heat and noise, and it is the increased temperatures and noise interferences that cause signal attenuation along the cable.
